Traveling case having a combined hat retainer and partition holddown



Aug. 16, 1949.

' J. SCHNEIDER 2,479,269 TRAVELING CASE HAYING A COMBINED HAT-RETAINER AND PARTITION-HOLDDOWN Filed March 29, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l 52- 1 K x j 50 f IQ 54$. 7 62 35 a 53\ I 5 l4- j 2,0 5 I 32$ 2" i 30- INVENTOR.

M26 John Schneider I?) y BY 2 E ATTORN YS.

- Aug. 16, 1949. J. SCHNEIDER TRAVELING CASE HAVING A COMBINED HAT-RETAINER AND PARTITION-HOLDDOWN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 29, 1946 FIG All 111/ INVENTOR. JEIHTL 5 EIhTLEidET BY 2 I ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 1 6, 1 949 CASE HAVING A COMBINED HAT RETAINER AND PARTITION HOLD- DOWN John Schneider, Tampa, Fla.

Application March 29, 1946, Serial No. 658,140

2 Claims. 1' V M This invention relates to receptacles for wearing apparel and similar articles and more particularly to receptacles for transporting and storing articles of wearing'apparel and the like. Such a receptacle may be a traveling case for clothing, hats, shoes and toilet articles.

An important object of the invention is to provid'e a removable partitioned receptacle, which may be employed; by manipulation of certain partitions, to provide a compartment for easily crushed or damaged articles, such as hats, and protect them against crushing ordamaging Still another important object is to provide the receptacle described above, and including hinged partitions as well as novel holddown means to prevent the moving about of a hat contained in one of the compartments described, as Well as to retain two of the partitions in 'out-of-the-way positions when this compartment is not being used.

Another'maj'or object is to provide a receptacle as described, in which portions of the holddown means have a very desirable function when not employed in. aiding in preventing moving about of a hat or. the like.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification and in which drawings: 7 v

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an opened traveling case embodying the invention and with its cover or lid raised.

Figure 2" is a transverse sectionthrough the traveling case, with the cover or lid closed and the case disposed upright.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal" section through the case, showing portions of the holddown means inits partition holddown position.

Figure 4 is a top plan of. the holddown means and with the partitions of Figure 3 elevated.

Figures 5 and 6 are views; partly in section, of latch meansassociated with the several partitions and are taken on the lines 5--5 and 66 of Figures 4- and 2, respectively;

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A designates the receptacle as a whole; and B, the holddown means.

The receptacle A is shown, for illustration, as a traveling case, having end walls l and I I, side walls I2 andnormal to the walls I 0' and H, a wall [4 joining the walls I 0 to I 3, and a closure or lid. I normally paralleling the wall I'4.- This closure has, preferably, end and sidewalls IE to I9 and a wall normal thereto, and may be hinged to the wall I3, as by the hinges 21. A suitable lock and latches for the receptacle A may have portions 22' and 23 respectively carried by the wall I8 As for that portion of the receptacle A enrbraced by the Walls ill to M; this encloses a partition 25, extending longitudinally thereof, which partition may be hinged asat 26', have one or more eye-accommodating slots 21 at its unhinged end 23 and a book 29 associated with each slot 21,,

pivotally carried upon the partitions upper face;

In addition, it is preferred to provide other. partitions, as the spaced-apart transversely-extending, norm-ally paralleling partitions 30;. which may be hinged as at SI to the wall M and are 7 adapted; when raised and cooperating with the partition to provide a hat-accommodating compartment as Well-as two compartments one to oneside' of each partition'i'lfl. Preferably, each r partition 30' is so hinged that it will be disposed upon the inner face of the wall H as in Figure 3, i. e., with their free ends 32 extending toward each: other. When raised, these ends are adapted to extend to the partition 255. Each free end? 3'2 is:

provided with a pair'of hook-accommodating slots 3?, as may be seen in Figure 4.

' When the partitions 30' and 25 are in'its'e (as in Figures 1, 2 and 4) the r'eceptacleA provides four compartments 35 3'6, 51 and 38 Gompartment 35 is defined by'the walls Hito 2b of the closure I5 and the partition 25, while I compartment 36" which may be called the hat accommodating compartmen-t,is defined by thecentral' portions of partition 25and walls I2,

I 3 and M. The compartment 3'! is defined by the Wall ll, one partition 30 and portions of the walls l3 and M and partition 25, and the compartment 3'8 the wall I! one partition 39 and par tions of the walls I2, F3 and M and partition 25;

The case A may be provided with a handle 40 and the portions 41 and 4-2 respectively of lock and latch means, to cooperate with the portions 22 and 23 of the wall I8. The handle 40 and portions M and 42 are carried by the wall I2, which also carries a suitable eyed member 43 to cooperate with the hooks 29 as is shown in Figure 6, where one of the hooks 29 and eyed members 43 are shown.

There is provided also latch means for the partitions 30, preferably comprising suitable hook members 45 pivotally carried by preferably plate or block-like members 46 secured to the inner faces of the walls 12 and 13, as may be seen in Figures 3 and 4. These hook members 45 are adapted to enter into the slots 33 and engage the inner faces of the partitions 30, as in Figures 4 and 5. It will be noted, particularly in Figure 3, that the members 45 have their upper edges 4! so disposed that the partition 25 rests thereupon and they thus limit or stop downward swinging of the partition on its hinges 26, and they have their inner facing edges 48 so disposed that they function as stops, limiting swinging of the partitions 39 outwardly, as is apparent in Figures 1 and 4.

In order to support the extreme end portions of the partition 25, a pair of conventional stops, compressing narrow lengths 49 of suitable material, may be secured to the inner faces of the walls l and I l, as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

. The holddown means B for a hat or the like in the compartment 36 preferably comprises a hat retainingmember 50, which may be a length of wire including a substantially straight springand-bearing-engaging or pivot portion i, arms 52 extending therefrom and arcuate hat brimengaging portions 53 extending from the arms 52, shaped to extend about a hat crown. These arcuate portions 53 may be provided with spaced apart sleeves 54 of rubber or other resilient material to provide cushioning means to protect a hat held by the means B and the portions 53 and sleeves 54 may be termed the arcuate portion assembly. The pivot portion 5| is carried by perforated bearings 55 fixed to the wall I2 which is the same wall carrying the handle 40. This portion 5| also carries a pair of coil springs 56 as in Figure 4 with one of the free ends of each bearing upon the upper face of an arm 52 and the other free end of each bearing against the inner face of the wall I2, thus forcing the member 50 toward the wall 14. It is now obvious that the springs 56 may be threaded upon the length of wire and the latter then inserted in the bearings 55, the length bent or formed to shape and the bearings 55 secured to the wall 12 in any approved way.

It should be noted that the free ends 51 of the length of wire meet, as in Figure 4. This prevents ahat from moving toward the wall 13 when the receptacle A is upended, with the handle 40 uppermost. By grasping the member 50 adjacent the free end 51 and swinging it away from the wall 14, against the tension of the springs 56, a hat may be inserted, with its brim upon'the inner face of the wall I4 and, when the crown is clear of the arcuate portions 53, allowing the member 50 to again swing toward the wall l4, the hat will be retained in position and held down by the means B.

' When the means B is not employed and the partitions 30 not raised, this means B may be employed to retain the partition 30 against flapping, as is clear from Figure 3.

The holddown means B and partitions 30 when not in use, occupy but little room, and the bear- '4 ings 55 and springs 56 are out of the way as may be seen in Figure 4. Thus, little space is sacrificed.

Various changes may be made to the form of the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a receptacle for wearing apparel, including a hat, said receptacle having a hinged closure, outer walls, including a hat-supporting wall substantially paralleling said closure when the latter is in a closed position, at least one partition, means hinging said partition to said hat-supporting wall to lie fiat upon said hat-supporting wall when in one position and to extend normal to said hat-supporting wall and closure when in another position, and means disposed upon said wall to retain a hat against shifting, said means including a spring-pressed hat-retaining member pivoted to one of said walls, and either contacting said hat, when said partition is in said normal position, or contacting said partition, when said partition is flat upon said hat-supporting wall.

2. In a receptacle 'for wearing, apparel, including a hat, said receptacle having a hinged closure, outer walls, including a hat-supporting wall substantially paralleling said closure when the latter is in a closed position, at least one partition, means hinging said partition to said hat-supporting Wall to lie fiat upon said hat-supporting wall when in one position and to extend normal to said hat-supporting wall and closure when in another position, and means disposed upon said wall to retain a hat against shifting, said means including a swingable clamping member, having an arcuate portion assembly and a pivot portion, said arcuate portion assembly either contacting said hat, when said partition is in said normal position, or contacting said partition, when said partition is flat upon said hat-supporting wall, said pivot portion being operatively connected with one of said outer Walls normal to said hatsupporting wall and including a spring to bias said member to a clamping position.

JOHN SCHNEIDER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 2 

